Wednesday 31 August 2011

31st August, official end of summer...













Summer went out with a lovely sunset last night, the light here in Scotland is often talked about by professional photographers, film makers, and those outdoors a lot,
Hard to capture with cheap equipment and no trained skill, but i think i caught a shine of its magic light with the Go Pro sports camera half way through this wee film i made on the coast at sunset last night, a nice end to summer(?),
every (rain) cloud has a silver lining...

Looking forward to Autumn now, harvested stubble fields, trees turning golden brown, trails through crunchy leaves devoid of nettles,
and the return of the Geese in there thousands to Aberlady Bay,
and many more amazing sunsets...


Song is `Spectrum` by Boards of Canada,
click on 720p to view in HD,

Wednesday 24 August 2011

Harvest...

Updated 28th August,
Updated 25th August,



Despite the unsettled weather the combine harvesters are out in a county that this year is a blanket of gold, We are in a recession but wheat prices are double of last years harvest and straw is worth bailing for its prices.

The morning commute is lovely if the sun is shining, fields you see being sprayed are a few weeks away from harvest, the spray is a `total` herbicide- to kill off grasses and broad leaf weeds, so this year its going to last into mid september at least, this week on dry evenigs once dark after 9pm the scene across the county is flashing orange lights from the combines and and the grain trailers, the balers are working all hours too if dry, i love it, and of course the harvested stubble fields are rideable on the pugsley which opens up loads more places to visit, and trails and woods to link together,
some pics from this week..




















































Film from last year, need to do another this year...

Sunday 21 August 2011

Saturday Beachride...Sunshine too!...



About time the sun showed itself after a bit of a miserable week weather wise,
Saturday was sunny with a westerly breeze, riding down through woods to the coast there was a fresh smell in the woods, after all the rain i imagine...


Time to revisit my favourite bit of coastline,from Aberlady along to Yellowcraig,
Out onto the Bay and an hour before low tide i soon reached a retreating tide crossing the bay, it is pretty slick out here and in places even the pugsley just spins out, riding on the areas with shells helps get grip and keeping forward motion...




A pile of stones out east of the Peffer is i think all that remains from a wreck of a wooden vessel here, stones were often used for ballast when empty...


There are of course 8 or 9 hulls over on the west side of the Peffer...


Here is a photo of the bay over 100 years ago...


Following the north shore of the Peffer Burn and ahead were Seals lying up on the sand, soon as i got near they moved into the water, clumsy on land but fast once in the water...








The seals would swim up along side to the estuary, watching me then diving down to reappear, closer than the camera can show...


Creels that have broke free...


Lovely light on the water at the Peffer estuary...


2.1 miles of exposed sand to ride now east to the rocky headland of Gullane Point...


Passing the Mini Submarine wrecks, the green algae now has died back and the rusty metal is visible...




Up along the high tide line but nothing new of interest washed up, there is still this lovely smoothed tree limb that was washed up a few weeks ago, bleached by the sea and sun..


Looking west from Gullane Point...


Over the other side was a bamboo chair washed up, someone has sat it up on the headland!...




I took 5 and soaked up the view...


Gullane and yellowcraigs beaches would be busy today with the nice weather so i didn`t hang about and just before Broadsands i would cut inland to head home,
it was warm out of the wind and here just past Eyebroughty island the sea was calm where it was sheltered...


The main harvest is only a few weeks away now, Winter Barley has been cut and this now Spring Barley and Oil seed Rape is being cut, the county is covered in fields of golden brown Wheat, my favourite time of year scenically in East Lothian...


Here is some film from riding around Aberlady Bay, click on 720 to watch in HD,
Song is `Labyrinth (remix)` by Ludovico Einaudi...


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Oh, and that chair?, i went back down and got it that evening, worth the 20 minute carry back to the car -:)...